Hinge and box combination



7, 1957 G. e. BERGH' ETAL 2,804,229

HINGE AND BOX COMBINATION Filed Sept. 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS GEORGE G. BERGH ROBERT 'G. BERGH M, gzkw jmmvw ATTORNEYS Aug. 27, 1957 G. G. BERGH E'I'ALY 2,804,229

HINGE AND BOX COMBINATION Filed Sept. 16. 1954 2 sheat s-Sheet 2 Fig. 3

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.1 LI I 1 Ill/l l8 32 I6 22 22 32 IB 39 4 [30 L y l T \I/WLL/II I Fig; 7 INVENTORS GEORGE G. BERGH BY ROBERT G. BERGH,

ATTORNEYS 2,804,229 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 United States Patent ()fiice HINGE AND BOX COMBINATION George G. Bergh and Robert G. Bergh, Attleboro Falls, Mass., assignors to Bergh Bros. 'Co., Inc., .Attleboro Falls, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 16, 1954, Serial No. 456,524

11 Claims. (Cl. 220-31) This invention relates to hinge mechanism for joining elements of boxes or the like, and more particularly to hinge mechanism adapted for insertion after the various box elements have been covered with decorative fabric, paper or the like.

In the shipment and display box industry, as well as in several other related fields, great savings of labor can be effected by employing automatic box covering machines. However, such box covering machines can only be used to cover the various elements of the box separately, and for that reason the hinge elements employed to join the covered top and bottom elements of a box have in the past been placed directly over the decorative covering with securing elements passing through the end walls of the box. When such is done, the hinge elements and their securing mechanism detract substantially from the appearance of the box. Certain attempts have been made in the past forsecuring the leaves of the hinge to the end walls of the box elements after the said elements have been decoratively covered, but in the past every one of these attempts has had serious drawbacks. Either the retaining elements of the hinges have had wide tolerances in order to permit the leaves to be securely hired to the end wall of the box, or else the securing elements have not been sufliciently firm to retain the hinge leaves in position. It will be understood that when a hinge leaf is inserted into a slot or pocket and must be depressedv therein far enough to pass a retaining lug which cooperates with the hinge leaf to retain the leaf in the pocket, there will remain between the hinge and the box a certain amount of play which will thereafter permit the hinge to rattle or. else shift within the pocket.

It is an object of our invention to provide a box hinge and wall combination 'which will permit convenient, tight and secure attachment of a hinge leaf to the wall of the box after the same has been dccoratively covered or wrapped.

It is a further object of our invention to provide means for securing a hinge to the box wall by means of which the resiliency of the hinge and wall is employed to maintain a tight connection between the two said elements.

It is an additional object of our invention to provide means for securing the hinge to the box wall in which the normal disrupting forces tending to pull the hinge away from the box react in such a way as to render the securing connection more firm.

in the accomplishment of these and other objects of our invention in a preferred embodiment thereof, we employ a box having a metal rear wall stamped to provide lateral and central hinge retaining members. The lateral retaining members are formed to provide opposed .pockets adapted to receive the lateral edges of a hinge leaf. The central retaining members are provided with retaining ears or flanges which are spaced from the rear wall of the box and which extend toward the lateral retaining members. The hinge leaf employed in conjunction with these retaining members is notched centrally so that when its lateral edges are inserted into the pockets of the lateral retaining members, the side walls of the central notch of the hinge leaf extend downwardly to each side of the central retaining members between the rear wall of the box and the retaining flanges of the central retaining members. The hinge leaf is further provided with outwardly extending hook portions which snap outwardly under the retaining flanges of the central retaining members when the hinge leaf is fully inserted into the pockets of the lateral retaining members, and in order to force the said hook members outwardly the rear wall of the box is provided with shallow raised portions which abut the lower edge of the hinge leaf as it approaches the fully inserted position.

It is a feature of .our invention that the resiliency of the rear wall of the box is transmitted through the shallow raised portions on the said rear wall to maintain the hook portions of the hinge leaf in locking engagement under the flanges of the central retaining members.

It is a further feature of our invention that the hinge leaf is provided with laterally extending ears which rest on the upper edge of the lateral retaining members when the hinge leaf is fully inserted into the pockets of the lateral retaining members, and when the hinge leaf is in this position, the upper edges of the hook members abut firmly against the lower edges of the retaining flanges of the central retaining members.

It is a further feature of our invention that the normal disrupting forces which tend to pull the hinge leaf away from the box wall react on the hinge leaf to pull the hook members more firmly underneath the retaining flanges of the central retaining members, and thereby make the connection of the hinge leaf to the box wall more firm rather than to loosen it.

Still another feature of our invention is that the pockets formed by the lateral retaining members are wider in their upper portions and narrower at their bases. In this way the lower part of the hinge leaf is wedged tightly into the pockets when the hinge leaf is inserted therein. Further in connection with this feature of our invention, we provide outwardly extending members in the upper area of the marginal edge of the hinge leaf which wedge against the side wall of the pockets of the lateral retaining members when the hinge leaf is 'fully inserted. This arrangement results in a tight fittingv hinge leaf.

Still another feature of our invention relates to the hook elements which lock under the central retaining members. These hook elements are bent outwardly from the plane of the hinge leaf in such a way as to provide a wedging surface which assists the hinge leaf in passing inwardly of the ears of the central retaining members.

Further objects and features of our invention will best be understood and appreciated from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in perspective of a pair of box elements joined together by the hinge and securing mechanisms of our invention; for purposes of clarity these box elements are shown without decorative covering;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view in end elevation along therlines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view in perspective showing the rear wall of the box and the hinge in position for insertion into the securing elements;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view in side elevation along the lines 44 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional plan view along the lines 77 of Fig. 2.

The preferred embodiment of our invention herein shown is depicted in Fig. 1 as a composite box having a bottom section 10, a top section 12, joined together at the rear walls thereof by a hinge. The box elements 10 and 12 shown in Fig. 1 are fabricated from light sheet metal and have not been covered with a decorative fabric for purposes of clarity of illustration. Since the invention herein claimed relates primarily to the formation of the hinge leaves and the cooperating elements along the rear wall of the box employed to join the hinge to the box, it will be seen that there is no need to labor the description of the remaining elements of the box itself, and further that it is only necessary to describe one hinge leaf and the connecting elements on one wall of the box. For this purpose we will refer principally to a rear wall 14 of the .box element 10 and a hinge leaf 16 which is to be secured to the rear wall 14.

In the fabrication of the box element 10, the rear wall 14 thereof is stamped to provide lateral hinge retaining members 18 and central hinge retaining members 20. The lateral retaining members 18 are formed to provide opposed substantially vertical pockets, and during the formation process the bases of the members 18 remain secured to the rear wall 14 along their lower marginal edges. The central retaining members are positioned on the rear wall 14 substantially midway between lateral retaining members 18 and are stamped to provide flanges 22 spaced from the plane of the rear wall 14 and extending laterally towards the retaining members 18. It will be noted that the retaining members 18 are formed by extruding the metal of the rear wall 14 forward and being formed with curved surfaces. Both laterally and longitudinally these elements'are substantially rigid. The lateral retaining members 18 slant downwardly towards the rear wall and theflanges 22 of the central retaining members slant outwardly from the rear wall for purposes that will become more apparent as this description proceeds.

The hinge leaf 16 is notched centrally at 24 so that when the said hinge leaf 16 is secured to the rear wall 14 the lateral marginal edges of the hinge leaf 16 fit in the pockets formed by the lateral retaining members 18 and the inner side walls of the hinge leaf 16 adjacent to the notch 24 fit in between the flanges 22 of the central retaining members 20 and the plane of the rear wall 14. In the upper lateral portions of the hinge leaf 16, laterally extending ears 26 are provided and when the hinge leaf 16 is fully inserted into the pockets formed by the lateral retaining members 18, the cars 26 abut the upper edge of the lateral retaining members 18. Also adjacent to the marginal edges of the notch 24 in the hinge leaf 16, we provide short outwardly extending hook elements 28 which hook under the flanges 22 of the central retaining members 20 when the hinge leaf is fully inserted. In order to urge the hook elements 28 outwardly from the rear wall 14 as the hinge leaf 16 approaches the fully inserted posi' tion, we provide small raised portions 30 on the rear wall 14 in the area of the lower margin of the leaf 16 when it is in the fully inserted position. Thus it will be seen that when the hinge leaf 16 is approaching the fully inserted position, its lower margins contact the raised portions 30, and when the leaf 16 reaches the fully inserted position, the raised portions 30 cause the rear wall 14 to urge the hinge leaf outwardly from the rearwall 14 and force the hook elements 28 under the flanges 22.

Since the rear wall 14 is fabricated from light sheet metal, it will be seen that a definite spring action results causing the rear wall somewhat to recede during the inserting operation, and when the hook elements. 28 pass immediately below the flanges 22, this spring force results in slightly bending the hinge leaf 16 outwardly in the area of the hook elements 28 as may be seen more in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. It should be understood, of course, that the rear wall may remain slightly extended under spring compression and the hinge leaf may not bend as much as is shown'in Figs. 5 and 6. However, the important feature in this connection is that the hook elements 28 extend fully under the flanges 22 of the central retaining members 20 and the face of the hinge leaf 16 remains substantially flush against the inner face of the flanges 22.

In order to assist in the insertion of the hinge leaf 16 adjacent to the central retaining members 20, the hook elements 28 slant inwardly toward the base margin of the leaf 16. Also it will be seen in Figs. 6 and 7 that the flanges 22 and cooperating hook elements 28 slant inwardly towards the central portion of the box in order to further assist in the. lateral wedging relationship between these members and the hinge leaf 16. 1

Also in order to insure a tight fitting hinge in the lateral portions thereof, the lateral retaining members 18 are slanted inwardly towards their bases so as to wedge the lower margin of the hinge elements tightly in the base of the pockets formed by the lateral retaining members 18 and in the upper portion of the lateral margin of the hinge leaf16 which fits into the pocket formed by the lateral retaining member 18, we provide a short outwardly extending wedge element 32 which engages the upper portion of the lateral retaining members 18 in wedging relation and holds the hinge firmly therein.

It will now be seen that there is a definite critical relationship between the positions of the retaining members 18 and 20 on the rear wall of the box and the ears 26 and hook elements 28 on the hinge leaf 16. Thus when the ears 26 are seated flush against the top of the lateral retaining members 18, the hook elements 28 are engaged tightly against the lower margins of the flanges 22 of the central retaining members 20. In order to secure this tight fitting relationship the design of the hinge leaf of our invention may require that the hinge be very slightly bent centrally in the'portion immediately above the notch 24 during the very last stages of insertion. This arrangement will then insure an absolutely snug fit. I

It will now beiseen that the hinge of our invention may i be secured to the rear wall of the box by a simple inserting operation which may be carried out even though the various elements of the box are covered with decorative material provided'the material is opened at its top to provide a slot sufliciently wide to accommodate entrance of the hinge leaf'16. Also' when the hinge has been fully inserted, it is securely held in the inserted position and will remain in very firm engagement with the rear wall of the box provided that none of the retaining members are bent or distorted. Also it will be seen that the normal disruptive forces which tend to cause the hinge to be disengaged from the rear wall 14 simply cause the hinge to be more firmly secured to the rear wall rather than separate therefrom. We. are referring to the disruptive forces caused by sharply pulling the hinge in the central area where a spring 34 is conventionally attached. The spring 34 tends to pull the base of the hinge away from the rear wall 14 of the box, and in our invention such a force simply causes the hook elements 28 to lodge more firmly under the flanges 22 of the central retaining members 20. Numerous minor variations of the preferred embodiment of our invention herein shown will now be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and therefore, it is not our intention to'confine the invention to the precise form herein shown, but rather to limit it in terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described and discloseda preferred embodiment of our invention,,what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1. A hinge and box having in combination a box wall, a hinge leaf, lateral hinge retaining members on said wall each defining a pocket adjacent said wall, said pockets being spaced apart along said wall and internally dimensioned to receive the lateral edges of said hinge leaf, a central hinge retaining member on said wall located between the lateral hinge retaining members, a flange on said central retaining member spaced from and parallel to the plane of said wall, hook means on said hinge leaf. extending below and hooking under said flange when said hinge leaf is fully lodged in said lateral pockets, and means on said wall urging said leaf outwardly against said flange.

2. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 1 further characterized by said lateral hinge retaining members being positioned so that said hinge leaf must be fully inserted into said pockets before said hook means will pass under said central retaining member.

3. A hinge and box having in combination a box wall, a hinge leaf, lateral hinge retaining members on said wall each defining a pocket adjacent said wall, said pockets being spaced apart along said wall and internally dimensioned to receive the lateral edges of said hinge leaf, a central hinge retaining member on said wall lo cated between the lateral hinge retaining members, a flange on said central retaining member spaced from and parallel to the plane of said Wall, hook means on said hinge leaf extending below said flange when said hinge leaf is fully lodged in said pockets of said lateral retaining members, and resilient means urging said hook means into locking relation under said flange when said hinge leaf is fully lodged in said pockets of said lateral retaining members.

4. A hinge and box having in combination a box wall;

a hinge leaf, a pair of lateral hinge retaining members on said wall each having a flange spaced from the plane of said wall and extending along said wall towards the other lateral retaining member, said flanges also extending vertically of said wall and defining between themselves and the plane of said wall a pocket which narrows in width towards its base, said pockets being spaced apart along said wall and internally dimensioned to receive the lateral edges of said hinge leaf with the lower portions of said pockets holding the lower lateral corners of said hinge leaf in wedging engagement, outwardly extending members on the upper portion of the side margins of said hinge leaf in position to bear against the said flanges when said hinge leaf is fully lodged in said pockets, a central hinge retaining member on said wall located between the two lateral hinge retaining members having a retaining flange thereon spaced from the plane of said wall and extending toward one of said lateral hinge retaining members, hook means on said hinge leaf extending below and hooking under said central hinge retaining member when 'said hinge leaf is fully lodged in said lateral pockets.

5. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 4 further characterized by resilient means urging said hook means into position under said central retaining member. 6. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 5 further characterized by said resilient means also urging said hinge leaf outwardly from said wall against the inner face of said retaining flange.

7. A hinge and box having in combination a box wall, a hinge leaf, a pair of lateral hinge retaining members on said Wall each having a flange spaced from the plane of said wall and extending along said wall towards the other lateral retaining member, said flanges also extending vertically of said wall and defining between themselves and the plane of said wall a pocket which narrows in width towards its base, said pockets being spaced apart along said wall and internally dimensioned to receive the lateral edges of said hinge leaf with the lower portions of said pockets holding the lower lateral corners of said hinge leaf in wedging engagement, outwardly extending members on the upper portion of the side margins of said hinge leaf in position to bear against the said flanges when said hinge leaf is fully lodged in said pockets, a pair of central retaining members located on said wall between said lateral retaining members, walls in said hinge leaf forming a notch centrally of said hinge leaf positioned to pass laterally of said central retaining members with the lower edge of said hinge leaf extending below said central retaining members when said hinge leaf is fully lodged in the pockets of said lateral retaining member, and hook means on said hinge leaf adjacent to the lower portion of said not-ch extending below and hooking under said central retaining members.

8. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 7 further characterized by resilient means urging said hook members into hooking relation under said central retaining members.

9. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 8 further characterized by said central retaining members each having a retaining flange thereon respectively extending laterally toward said lateral retaining members, and resilient means urging said hinge leaf outwardly from said wall against said retaining flange.

10. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 9 further characterized by said retaining flanges being slanted outwardly from said wall to promote a wedging relation between said hinge leaf and said central retaining members.

11. The hinge and box combination defined in claim 9 further characterized by said hook means being slanted downwardly towards the plane of said hinge leaf to promote easy entrance of said hook means behind said retaining flanges of said central retaining members.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,740,866 McBarron Dec. 24, 1929 2,243,065 Barrett May 27, 1941 2,583,350 Witzgall a Jan. 22, 1952 

